Aligner structure and alignment method

ABSTRACT

An aligner structure comprises: a first alignment unit ( 100 ) for sequentially and firstly aligning the substrate (S) and the mask (M) by the first relative displacement between the substrate (S) and the mask (M); and a second alignment unit ( 200 ) for sequentially and secondarily aligning the substrate (S) and the mask (M) by the second relative displacement between the substrate (S) and the mask (M) after the first alignment by the first alignment unit ( 100 ). The displacement scale of the second relative displacement is smaller than the displacement scale of the first relative displacement so that the substrate (S) and the mask (M) can be quickly and precisely aligned by performing the first relative displacement between the substrate (S) and the mask (M) with a relatively small displacement scale after finishing the first relative displacement between the substrate (S) and the mask (M) with a relatively large displacement scale.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119 of Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2014-0023002, filed onFeb. 27, 2014, 10-2014-0136990, filed on Oct. 10, 2014, and10-2014-0141252, filed on Oct. 18, 2014, the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a substrate processingapparatus, and more particularly, to an aligner structure and analignment method for aligning a substrate with a mask to perform adeposition process on a substrate.

BACKGROUND ART

As the IT technology has remarkably developed and the market of adisplay such as a smartphone has grown, a flat panel display is beingspotlighted. The flat panel display includes a liquid crystal display, aplasma display panel, and organic light emitting diodes.

Among the above-described flat panel displays, the organic lightemitting diodes are being spotlighted as a next generation displaydevice in that it has a quick response speed, power consumption lowerthan that of a conventional liquid crystal display, a property oflightweight, and high brightness and does not need a separate backlightunit so that it may be manufactured as an ultra slim type.

The organic light emitting diodes uses a principle in which an anode, anorganic film, and a cathode are sequentially formed on a substrate, anda voltage is applied between the anode and the cathode to emit lightitself.

Although not shown, the organic light emitting diodes are manufacturedin such a manner that an anode, a hole injection layer, a hole transferlayer, an emitting layer, an electron transfer layer, an electroninjection layer, and a cathode are sequentially formed on the substrate.Here, the anode is made of an indium tin oxide (ITO) having a smallsurface resistance and an excellent light transmittance.

Also, since the organic film is weak to moisture and oxygen in the air,an encapsulation film encapsulating the organic film or the like toincrease a life time of the device is formed on the uppermost portion.

Meanwhile, the anode, the cathode, the organic film, and theencapsulation film are generally formed through a vacuum depositionmethod to manufacture the organic light emitting diodes.

Here, the vacuum deposition method represents the method in which asource for heating to evaporate a deposition material is installed in avacuum chamber and the deposition material evaporated from the source isdeposited on a surface of a substrate.

In manufacturing the organic light emitting diodes, a mask M is coupledto a substrate S to form the anode, the cathode, and the organic film,which have a predetermined pattern, as shown in FIG. 1. The numericalsymbol F in FIG. 1 indicates a support member for closely attaching themask M to the substrate S, which are aligned by a magnetic force or thelike.

Here, the substrate S and the mask M are necessarily aligned with eachother to be matched with a pre-designed pattern as shown in FIG. 2. Forthis, the mask M is displaced by a displacement unit while recognized bya camera to align marks m1 and m2 with each other, which arerespectively defined in the substrate S and the mask M, and then themask M is closely attached to the substrate S by using a support memberF.

As the related art, the aligner structure is disclosed in KoreanRegistered Patent No. 10-0627679.

However, as a resolution of the display increases, a pattern is alsomicro-sized, and thus further precise alignment between the substrate Sand the mask M is necessary to form the micro-pattern.

Also, the precise alignment between the substrate S and the mask M ispossible only when micro-displacement of the substrate S or the mask Mis realized.

However, since an aligner structure of the related art adopts amechanical operation method such as a ball screw, the micro-displacementof the substrate S or the mask M is impossible.

Also, since the precise alignment between the substrate S and the mask Mis not easily performed through the conventional method adopting themechanical operation method, the alignment is performed through severaltimes repetition to resultantly increase a time required for aligningthe substrate S with the mask M and a total processing time, therebyreducing productivity of the display.

Especially, since the time required for aligning the substrate S withthe mask M increases the total processing time to reduce theproductivity of the display, the further quick alignment method for thesubstrate S and the mask M is necessary.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an aligner structureand an alignment method, which are capable of quickly and preciselyaligning a substrate S with a mask M by a combination of first relativedisplacement between the substrate S and the mask M with a relativelylarge displacement scale and second relative displacement between thesubstrate S and the mask M with a relatively small displacement scale.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the purpose of thepresent invention is to provide an aligner structure and an alignmentmethod, which are capable of quickly performing alignment between thesubstrate S and the mask M.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an alignerstructure that aligns a mask M with a substrate S before performing athin film deposition process on a surface of the substrate S, thealigner structure includes: a first alignment unit 100 for sequentiallyand firstly aligning the substrate S with the mask M by first relativedisplacement between the substrate S and the mask M; and a secondalignment unit 200 for sequentially and secondarily aligning thesubstrate S with the mask M by second relative displacement between thesubstrate S and the mask M after the first alignment by the firstalignment unit 100, wherein a displacement scale of the second relativedisplacement is less than that of the first relative displacement.

The first alignment unit 100 and the second alignment unit 200 may becoupled to a mask support unit 310 for supporting the mask M and movethe mask support unit 310, thereby performing the first relativedisplacement and the second relative displacement of the mask Msupported by the mask support unit 310 with respect to the substrate S.

The first alignment unit 100 and the second alignment unit 200 may becoupled to a substrate support unit 320 for supporting the substrate Sand move the substrate support unit 320, thereby performing the firstrelative displacement and the second relative displacement of thesubstrate S supported by the substrate support unit 320 with respect tothe mask M.

The second alignment unit 200 may be coupled to a mask support unit 310for supporting the mask M and move the mask support unit 310, therebyperforming the second relative displacement of the mask M supported bythe mask support unit 310 with respect to the substrate S, and the firstalignment unit 100 is coupled to a substrate support unit 320 forsupporting the substrate S and move the substrate support unit 320,thereby performing the first relative displacement of the substrate Ssupported by the substrate support unit 320 with respect to the mask M.

The first alignment unit 100 may be coupled to a mask support unit 310for supporting the mask M and move the mask support unit 310, therebyperforming the first relative displacement of the mask M supported bythe mask support unit 310 with respect to the substrate S, and thesecond alignment unit 200 is coupled to a substrate support unit 320 forsupporting the substrate S and move the substrate support unit 320,thereby performing the second relative displacement of the substrate Ssupported by the substrate support unit 320 with respect to the mask M.

A displacement range of the first relative displacement is 5 μm to 10μm, and a displacement range of the second relative displacement isdesirably 10 nm to 5 μm.

The first alignment unit 100 may be linearly driven by one of acombination of ball screw, a combination of rack and pinion, and acombination of belt and pulley, and the second alignment unit 200 islinearly driven by piezoelectric element.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, analignment method for aligning a mask M with a substrate S beforeperforming a thin film deposition process on a surface of the substrateS, the alignment method includes: a closely attaching process forclosely attaching the substrate S to the mask M; and an alignmentprocess for aligning the substrate S with the mask M. Here, the closelyattaching process and the alignment process are performed at the sametime.

The closely attaching process for closely attaching the substrate S tothe mask M may be performed first, and the closely attaching process andthe alignment process may be performed at the same time when a relativedistance between the substrate S and the mask M has a predeterminedvalue G.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, analignment method for aligning a mask M with a substrate S beforeperforming a thin film deposition process on a surface of the substrateS, the alignment method includes: an alignment process for performingalignment between the substrate S and the mask M; a closely attachingprocess for closely attaching the substrate S to the mask M after thealignment process; an alignment determination measurement process fordetermining whether an error between the substrate S and the mask Mafter the closely attaching process is within a predetermined allowableerror range E₁; and a subsequent alignment process for performing thealignment process and the alignment determination measurement processagain after separating the substrate S from the mask M when the errormeasured from alignment determination measurement process is greaterthan the allowable error range E₁. Here, when the error measured fromthe alignment determination measurement process is greater than theallowable error range E₁ and less than an assistant allowable errorrange E₂, the subsequent alignment process includes an assistantalignment process for performing alignment between the substrate S andthe mask M in the state in which the substrate S and the mask M areclosely attached to each other.

The assistant alignment process may be performed by relatively andlinearly moving the substrate S and the mask M by using piezoelectricelement.

The alignment process and the closely attaching process may be performedat the same time.

The closely attaching process for closely attaching the substrate S tothe mask M may be performed first, and the closely attaching process andthe alignment process may be performed at the same time when a relativedistance between the substrate S and the mask M has a predeterminedvalue G.

Advantageous Effects

The aligner structure according to the present invention may perform thequick and precise alignment between the substrate and the mask byperforming the second relative displacement between the substrate S andthe mask M with the relatively small displacement scale after finishingthe first relative displacement between the substrate S and the mask Mwith the relatively large displacement scale.

According to another aspect of the present invention, when the closelyattaching process and the alignment process are performed at the sametime, the alignment method according to the present invention mayminimize the time for performing process in comparison with that of therelated art which performs the alignment process in the state in whichthe distance between the substrate S and the mask M is fixed.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, as thealignment between the substrate S and the mask M is performed in thestate in which the substrate S and the mask M are closely attached toeach other depending on the measurement result when the alignmentprocess between the substrate S and the mask M is performed, thealignment method according to the present invention may further quicklyand exactly perform the alignment process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which asubstrate and a mask are closely attached to each other in a depositionapparatus to perform a deposition process,

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view illustrating an alignment process for thesubstrate and the mask,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an aligner structureaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view illustrating a first alignment unit inFIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a partial side view illustrating a second alignment unit inFIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an aligner structureaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an aligner structureaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an aligner structure according to afourth embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the substrate andthe mask for performing a substrate alignment method according to thepresent invention,

FIG. 10 is a partial plan view illustrating an alignment error betweenthe substrate and the mask, and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of adistance detection unit for detecting a distance between the substrate Sand the mask M.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the aligner structure according to the presentinvention aligns a mask M with a substrate S before a thin filmdeposition process is performed on a surface of the substrate S andincludes a first alignment unit 100 for sequentially and firstlyaligning the substrate S with the mask M by performing first relativedisplacement between the substrate S and the mask M and a secondalignment unit 200 for sequentially and secondarily aligning thesubstrate S with the mask M by performing second relative displacementbetween the substrate S and the mask M after the first alignment by thefirst alignment unit 100.

The aligner structure according to the present invention may beinstalled in a chamber having an inner space isolated from the outside,which is separated from a deposition apparatus in FIG. 1, or mounted ona frame installed in a clean room having a cleaning environment.

Also, the aligner structure according to the present invention may beinstalled in the deposition apparatus in FIG. 1 to align the mask M withthe substrate S before performing a deposition process.

Meanwhile, the reason for performing the alignment between the substrateS and the mask M by using the first alignment unit 100 and the secondalignment unit 200 is to quickly and precisely perform the alignmentbetween the substrate S and the mask M through micro displacement byperforming the second displacement M with a relatively smalldisplacement scale after finishing the first displacement with arelatively large displacement scale when the substrate S and the mask Mare relatively moved.

That is, a displacement scale of the second relative displacement isdesirably less than that of the first relative displacement. Forexample, it is desirable that a displacement range of the first relativedisplacement is 5 μm to 10 μm, and a displacement range of the secondrelative displacement is desirably 10 nm to 5 μm.

Meanwhile, the substrate S and the mask M are supported by a substratesupport unit 320 and a mask support unit 310, respectively.

The substrate support unit 320 supports an edge of the substrate S anddesirably includes a plurality of support members 321 supporting theedge of the substrate S at a plurality of positions in consideration ofsize and center of gravity of the substrate S.

The plurality of support members 321 support the edge of the substratesS at the plurality of positions. The plurality of support members 321may be up-down moved by an up-down movement unit (not shown) inconsideration of attachment to the mask M.

The mask support unit 310 supports an edge of the mask M and desirablyincludes a plurality of support members 311 supporting the edge of themask M at a plurality of positions in consideration of size and centerof gravity of the mask M.

The plurality of support members 311 support the edge of the mask M atthe plurality of positions. The plurality of support members 311 may bebe up-down moved by an up-down movement unit (not shown) inconsideration of attachment to the substrate S.

The first alignment unit 100 sequentially and firstly aligns thesubstrate S with the mask M by the first relative displacement betweenthe substrate S and the mask M.

The first alignment unit 100 may perform the relative displacementbetween the substrate S and the mask M in various methods. For example,while one of the substrate S and the mask M is fixed, the other ismoved, or while both of the substrate S and the mask M are moved, thealignment between the substrate S and the mask M is performed.

Meanwhile, the first alignment unit 100 may be linearly driven by anyone of a combination of ball screw, a combination of rack and pinion,and a combination of belt and pulley in consideration of the relativelylarge scale displacement in the displacement of the substrate S and themask M.

As an embodiment in which the combination of the ball screw is applied,the first alignment unit 100, as shown in FIG. 3, may include a rotationmotor 110, a screw member 130 rotated by the rotation motor 110, alinear movement member 120 coupled to the screw member 130 and linearlymoved by the rotation of the screw member 130, and a movement member 140coupled to the linear movement member 120 to move the substrate S or themask M by the movement of the linear movement member 120.

Also, the first alignment unit 100 may include the appropriate number ofthe rotation motor 110, the screw member 130, the linear movement member120, and the movement member 140 to correct X-axis deviation, Y-axisdeviation, and θ-deviation (distortion between the mask and thesubstrate) with reference to the rectangular substrate S.

In case of an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotationmotor 110, the screw member 130, the linear movement member 120, and themovement member 140 which constitute the first alignment unit 100 areprovided in four to correspond to four sides of the mask M.

Also, the movement member 140 may support the second alignment unit 200for supporting a movement block 312 of the mask support unit 310 and beindirectly coupled to the mask support unit 310.

Here, the movement member 140 may have various embodiments according toan object to be moved by the first alignment unit 100. For example, themovement member 140 may be directly or indirectly coupled to the masksupport unit 310 or indirectly or directly coupled to the substratesupport unit 320 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The second alignment unit 200 sequentially and secondarily aligns thesubstrate S with the mask M by the second relative displacement betweenthe substrate S and the mask M after the first alignment by the firstalignment unit 100.

The second alignment unit 200 may perform the relative displacementbetween the substrate S and the mask M in various methods. For example,while one of the substrate S and the mask M is fixed, the other ismoved, or while both of the substrate S and the mask M are moved, thealignment between the substrate S and the mask M is performed.

Especially, the second alignment unit 200 is for displacement with arelatively small scale. The second alignment unit 200 may adapt anydriving method as long as micro displacement in a range of 10 nm to 5 μmis possible and be desirably linearly-driven by, especially,piezoelectric element.

Since the piezoelectric element may precisely control the lineardisplacement in the range of 10 nm to 5 μm, the piezoelectric elementmay be the best solution for correcting micro-deviation between thesubstrate S and the mask M.

As an embodiment in which the piezoelectric element is applied, as shownin FIG. 5, the second alignment unit 200 may include a linear drivingunit 210 for generating a linear driving force by the piezoelectricelement and a linear movement member 220 linearly moved by the lineardriving force.

Also, the second alignment unit 200 may include the appropriate numberof the linear driving unit 210 and the linear movement member 220 tocorrect X-axis deviation, Y-axis deviation, and θ-deviation (distortionbetween the mask and the substrate) with reference to the rectangularsubstrate S.

In case of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotationmotor 110, the screw member 130, the linear movement member 120, and themovement member 140 which constitute the first alignment unit 100 areinstalled to correspond to the four sides of the rectangular mask M.

Also, the linear movement member 220 may be directly coupled to the masksupport unit 310 for supporting the movement block 312 of the masksupport unit 310.

Here, the linear movement member 220 may have various embodimentsaccording to an object to be moved by the second alignment unit 200. Forexample, the linear movement member 220 may be directly or indirectlycoupled to the mask support unit 310 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 orindirectly or directly coupled to the substrate support unit 320although not shown.

As described above, the substrate and the mask may be quickly andprecisely aligned with each other by performing the second relativedisplacement between the substrate S and the mask M with the relativelysmall displacement scale after finishing the first relative displacementbetween the substrate S and the mask M with a relatively largedisplacement scale by virtue of the constitution of the first alignmentunit 100 and the second alignment unit 200.

Meanwhile, the above-described constitution of the first alignment unit100 and the second alignment unit 200 may have various embodimentsdepending on the position and coupling structure thereof.

As shown in FIG. 8, in a modified example of the aligner structureaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention, the alignerstructure may include the first alignment unit 100 for driving the firstrelative displacement and the second alignment unit 200 for driving thesecond relative displacement after the first relative displacement bythe first alignment unit 100.

Also, the first alignment unit 100 may include the rotation motor 110,the screw member 130 rotated by the rotation motor 110, and the linearmovement member 120 coupled to the screw member 130 and linearly movedby the rotation of the screw member 130.

Here, the screw member 130 may be rotatably supported by at least onebracket for being stably installed and rotated.

The second alignment unit 200 may include a linear micro-displacementmember coupled to the linear movement member 120 so that the secondalignment unit 200 is moved together with the first alignment unit 100and linearly moving the movement block 312 connected to the supportmember for supporting the substrate S or the mask M.

Especially, the linear micro-displacement member of the second alignmentunit 200 desirably includes piezo actuator, i.e., a linear drivingmodule using the piezoelectric element.

The movement block 312 is coupled to the support member for supportingthe substrate S or the mask M. The movement block 312 may include anycomponent capable of transmitting the first relative displacement andthe second relative displacement of the first alignment unit 100 and thesecond alignment unit 200 to the substrate S or the mask M.

Meanwhile, to stably perform the first relative displacement and thesecond relative displacement when the second alignment unit 200 iscoupled to the movement block 312, the second alignment unit 200 mayinclude a first support block 332 installed to be movable along at leastone first guide rail 334 installed in a chamber or the like and linearlymoved by the linear micro-displacement member and the second supportblock 331 installed to be movable along at least one second guide rail333 supported by and installed on the first support block 332 to supportthe movement block 312.

The movement block 312 may be stably supported and the first relativedisplacement and the second relative displacement may be smoothlyperformed by the constitution of the first support block 332 and thesecond support block 331.

The appropriate number, such as three, of the first alignment unit 100and the second alignment unit 200, which have the above-describedconstitution, may be installed to correct the X-axis deviation, theY-axis deviation, and the θ-deviation (distortion between the mask andthe substrate) with reference to the rectangular substrate S.

Meanwhile, the first alignment unit 100 and the second alignment unit200 may have various embodiments depending on the coupling structure andthe installation position in the relative displacement between thesubstrate S and the mask M.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the aligner structure according to the firstembodiment of the present invention, the first alignment unit 100 andthe second alignment unit 200 may be are coupled to the mask supportunit 310 for supporting the mask M and move the mask support unit 310,thereby performing the first relative displacement and the secondrelative displacement of the mask M supported by the mask support unit310 with respect to the substrate S.

On the contrary to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in analigner structure according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention, the first alignment unit 100 and the second alignment unit200 may be coupled to the substrate support unit 320 for supporting thesubstrate S and move the substrate support unit 320, thereby performingthe first relative displacement and the second relative displacement ofthe substrate S supported by the substrate support unit 320 with respectto the mask M.

As shown in FIG. 7, in an aligner structure according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention, the second alignment unit 200 maybe coupled to the mask support unit 310 for supporting the mask M andmove the mask support unit 310, thereby performing the second relativedisplacement of the mask M supported by the mask support unit 310 withrespect to the substrate S, and the first alignment unit 100 may becoupled to the substrate support unit 320 for supporting the substrate Sand move the substrate support unit 320, thereby performing the firstrelative displacement of the substrate S supported by the substratesupport unit 320 with respect to the mask M.

On the contrary to the third embodiment, in an aligner structureaccording to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the firstalignment unit 100 may be coupled to the mask support unit 310 forsupporting the mask M and move the mask support unit 310, therebyperforming the first relative displacement of the mask M supported bythe mask support unit 310 with respect to the substrate S, and thesecond alignment unit 220 may be coupled to the substrate support unit310 for supporting the substrate S and move the substrate support unit320, thereby performing the second relative displacement of thesubstrate S supported by the substrate support unit 320 with respect tothe mask M .

Meanwhile, although embodiments of the present invention are describedwhen a direction in which the mask M is closely attached to thesubstrate S is from a lower side to an upper side, the aligner structureaccording to the present invention may be applied when the direction inwhich the mask M is closely attached to the substrate S is from theupper side to the lower side and when the mask M is attached inhorizontal direction to the substrate S while the substrate S isvertically disposed.

In other words, the aligner structure according to the present inventionmay be applied when the process is performed in a state in which asurface to be processed of the substrate faces downward, when theprocess is performed in a state in which the surface to be processed ofthe substrate faces upward, and when the process is performed in a statein which the surface to be processed of the substrate is perpendicularto the horizontal line.

Reference number 340 indicates a camera for recognizing marks m1 and m2respectively formed in the substrate S and the mask M, Reference number300 indicates a support means closely attaching the mask M to supportthe substrate S by using a plurality of magnets 331 installed thereinafter the alignment between the substrate S and the mask M, andReference number 332 indicates a rotation motor rotating the supportmeans 300 for a thin film deposition or the like after the mask M isclosely attached to the substrate S. The above-described numericalnumbers are not described in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7.

The support means 300 supports the other side of the substrate S towhich the mask M is closely attached. The support means 300 may includea carrier moved while supporting the substrate S or a susceptorinstalled in a vacuum chamber.

As shown in FIG. 11, at least one damping member 120 may be installed onthe support means 300 to prevent excessive shock to the substrate S whenthe mask M is closely attached to the substrate S.

The damping member 120 may be made of flexible material such as rubber.

Also, a plurality of detection sensors 150 may be additionally installedon the support means 300 to detect a distance between the substrate Sand the mask M when the substrate S and the mask M are aligned, i.e.,arranged.

The detection sensor 150 such as an ultrasonic sensor for detecting adistance may detect the distance between the substrate S and the mask Mso that a controller (not shown) of the apparatus determines whether thesubstrate S and the mask M contact to each other or have an alignabledistance.

The above-described detection sensor 150 may transmit a signal to thecontroller of the apparatus through wireless communications or throughwire by a signal transmit member 130 that is separately installed.

Also, the detection sensor 150 may be installed at a plurality ofpositions to calculate a degree of parallelization between the substrateS and the mask M and control the degree of parallelization between thesubstrate S and the mask M by a parallelization degree adjustment device(not shown) that will be described later.

As described above, the combination of the first alignment unit 100 andthe second alignment unit 200 may have various embodiments depending onthe installation position and coupling structure thereof.

Meanwhile, according to an aspect of the present invention, the presentinvention provides a quick alignment method between the substrate S andthe mask M.

In detail, the alignment method according to the present inventionincludes a closely attaching process for closely attaching the substrateS to the mask M and an alignment process for aligning the substrate Swith the mask M. Here, the closely attaching process and the alignmentprocess are performed at the same time.

Especially, the alignment method according to the present inventionperforms the closely attaching process for closely attaching thesubstrate S to the mask M first, and, when the relative distance betweenthe substrate S and the mask M has a predetermined value G as shown inFIG. 9, the closely attaching process and the alignment process aredesirably performed at the same time.

Here, a distance sensor 150 for detecting a distance between thesubstrate S and the mask M may be installed in the chamber or the like.

The distance sensor for detecting the distance between the substrate Sto the mask M may include any sensor capable of detecting a distance,e.g., an ultrasonic sensor.

As described above, when the closely attaching process and the alignmentprocess are simultaneously performed, a time for performing a processmay be minimized in comparison with that of a related art which performsthe alignment process in a state in which the distance between thesubstrate S and the mask M is fixed.

Also, in comparison with the related art that performs the alignmentprocess in a state in which the distance between the substrate S and themask M is fixed, the alignment process may be further exactly performedbecause the alignment process is performed in a state in which thedistance between the substrate S and the mask M is small.

Also, as the alignment process is quickly and exactly performed, failureof substrate processing may be minimized

The above-described alignment method according to the present inventionmay be applied regardless of the alignment structure for alignmentbetween the substrate S and the mask M.

In general, in performing the alignment process for the substrate S andthe mask M, the alignment process for the substrate S and the mask M isperformed, the closely attaching the substrate S to the mask M and analignment determination measurement within a predetermined allowableerror range E₁ are performed (refer to FIG. 10), and, when an error ofthe result measured from the alignment determination measurement isgreater than the allowable error range E₁, the substrate S and the maskM are separated again and then the alignment process and the alignmentdetermination measurement are performed again.

However, when the alignment process for the substrate S and the mask Mis not smoothly performed, the alignment process and the alignmentdetermination measurement are performed by several times to therebyincrease the total time for performing the process.

To solve the above-described problems, the present invention may performan assistant alignment process for performing the alignment between thesubstrate S and the mask M in the state in which the substrate S and themask M are closely attached to each other without separating thesubstrate S from the mask M when the error measured from the alignmentdetermination measurement is greater than the allowable error range E₁and less than a predetermined assistant allowable error range E₂.

Here, when the error measured from the alignment determinationmeasurement is greater than the assistant allowable error range E₂,certainly, the substrate S and the mask M are separated from each otheragain, and then the alignment process and the alignment determinationmeasurement are performed again.

Also, the assistant alignment process is desirably performed by a lineardriving device capable of driving linear micro-displacement inconsideration of relative linear micro-displacement between thesubstrate S and the mask M.

Especially, the linear driving device capable of driving the linearmicro-displacement may include the above-described piezo actuator.

When the alignment process for the substrate S and the mask M iscompleted, the substrate S and the mask M, which are closely attached toeach other, are chucked by a permanent magnet or the like.

When the alignment process for the substrate S and the mask M isperformed as described above, as the alignment between the substrate Sand the mask M is performed in the state in which the substrate S andthe mask M are closely attached to each other according to themeasurement result, the alignment process may be more quickly andexactly performed.

Also, as the alignment process is quickly and exactly performed, thefailure of substrate processing may be minimized

The above-described alignment method according to the present inventionmay be certainly applied regardless of the alignment structure foralignment between the substrate S to the mask M.

Meanwhile, in the above-described alignment and attachment between thesubstrate S and the mask M, the substrate S and the mask M are necessaryto be parallel to each other.

As the degree of parallelization between the substrate S and the mask Mis measured by using the above-described plurality of distance sensors150 and at least one of the substrate support unit 320 and the masksupport unit 310, which respectively support the substrate S and themask M, is up-down moved by the parallelization degree adjustmentdevice, the substrate S and the mask M may maintain the state parallelto each other.

As the parallelization degree adjustment device up-down moves at leastone of the substrate support unit 320 and the mask support unit 310,which respectively support the substrate S and the mask M, theparallelization degree adjustment device controls the state in which thesubstrate S and the mask M are parallel to each other.

In detail, each of the substrate support unit 320 and the mask supportunit 310 includes the plurality of support members 321, 311 supportingthe edge of the substrate S and the mask M in a horizontal state and ina plurality of positions of the edge of the substrate S and the mask M.Here, up-down displacement deviation is applied to a portion of thesupport members 321, 311 disposed on the plurality of positions, so thatthe state in which the substrate S and the mask M are parallel to eachother is controlled.

When the state in which the substrate S and the mask M are parallel toeach other is maintained by the above-described parallelization degreeadjustment device, the substrate S and the mask M may be preciselyaligned with and stably attached to each other.

Especially, the parallelization degree adjustment device may be combinedwith the first alignment unit 100 and the second alignment unit 200 orinstalled on the substrate support unit 320 to prevent interference whenthe first alignment unit 100 and the second alignment unit 200 areinstalled on the mask support unit 310,

Also, the parallelization degree adjustment device may include allcomponents for up-down linear movement, e.g., a screw jack installed inthe vacuum chamber in consideration of up-down ascending/descendingoperation.

Although the aligner structure and the alignment method according to thepresent invention are described through an embodiment using theapparatus performing the thin film deposition process, all apparatusesthat closely attaching the mask to the substrate to perform the processand requiring the alignment between the substrate and the mask may beapplied.

1. An aligner structure that aligns a mask (M) with a substrate (S)before performing a thin film deposition process on a surface of thesubstrate (S), the aligner structure comprising: a first alignment unit(100) for sequentially and firstly aligning the substrate (S) with themask (M) by first relative displacement between the substrate (S) andthe mask (M); and a second alignment unit (200) for sequentially andsecondarily aligning the substrate (S) with the mask (M) by secondrelative displacement between the substrate (S) and the mask (M) afterthe first alignment by the first alignment unit (100), wherein adisplacement scale of the second relative displacement is less than thatof the first relative displacement.
 2. The aligner structure of claim 1,wherein the first alignment unit (100) and the second alignment unit(200) are coupled to a mask support unit (310) for supporting the mask(M) and move the mask support unit (310), thereby performing the firstrelative displacement and the second relative displacement of the mask(M) supported by the mask support unit (310) with respect to thesubstrate (S).
 3. The aligner structure of claim 1, wherein the firstalignment unit (100) and the second alignment unit (200) are coupled toa substrate support unit (320) for supporting the substrate (S) and movethe substrate support unit (320), thereby performing the first relativedisplacement and the second relative displacement of the substrate (S)supported by the substrate support unit (320) with respect to the mask(M).
 4. The aligner structure of claim 1, wherein the second alignmentunit (200) is coupled to a mask support unit (310) for supporting themask (M) and move the mask support unit (310), thereby performing thesecond relative displacement of the mask (M) supported by the masksupport unit (310) with respect to the substrate (S), and the firstalignment unit 100 is coupled to a substrate support unit (320) forsupporting the substrate (S) and move the substrate support unit (320),thereby performing the first relative displacement of the substrate (S)supported by the substrate support unit (320) with respect to the mask(M).
 5. The aligner structure of claim 1, wherein the first alignmentunit (100) is coupled to a mask support unit (310) for supporting themask (M) and move the mask support unit (310), thereby performing thefirst relative displacement of the mask (M) supported by the masksupport unit (310) with respect to the substrate (S), and the secondalignment unit (200) is coupled to a substrate support unit (320) forsupporting the substrate (S) and move the substrate support unit (320),thereby performing the second relative displacement of the substrate (S)supported by the substrate support unit (320) with respect to the mask(M).
 6. The aligner structure of claim 1, wherein a displacement rangeof the first relative displacement is 5 μm to 10 μm, and a displacementrange of the second relative displacement is 10 nm to 5 μm.
 7. Thealigner structure of claim 1, wherein the first alignment unit (100) islinearly driven by one of a combination of ball screw, a combination ofrack and pinion, and a combination of belt and pulley, and the secondalignment unit (200) is linearly driven by piezoelectric element.
 8. Analignment method for aligning a mask (M) with a substrate (S) beforeperforming a thin film deposition process on a surface of the substrate(S), the alignment method comprising: a closely attaching process forclosely attaching the substrate (S) to the mask (M); and an alignmentprocess for aligning the substrate (S) with the mask (M), wherein theclosely attaching process and the alignment process are performed at thesame time.
 9. The alignment method of claim 8, wherein the closelyattaching process for closely attaching the substrate (S) to the mask(M) is performed first, and the closely attaching process and thealignment process are performed at the same time when a relativedistance between the substrate (S) and the mask (M) has a predeterminedvalue (G).
 10. An alignment method for aligning a mask (M) with asubstrate (S) before performing a thin film deposition process on asurface of the substrate (S), the alignment method comprising: analignment process for performing alignment between the substrate (S) andthe mask (M); a closely attaching process for closely attaching thesubstrate (S) to the mask (M) after the alignment process; an alignmentdetermination measurement process for determining whether an errorbetween the substrate (S) and the mask (M) after the closely attachingprocess is within a predetermined allowable error range (E₁); and asubsequent alignment process for performing the alignment process andthe alignment determination measurement process again after separatingthe substrate (S) from the mask (M) when the error measured fromalignment determination measurement process is greater than theallowable error range (E₁), wherein, when the error measured from thealignment determination measurement process is greater than theallowable error range (E₁) and less than an assistant allowable errorrange (E₂), the subsequent alignment process includes an assistantalignment process for performing alignment between the substrate (S) andthe mask (M) in the state in which the substrate (S) and the mask (M)are closely attached to each other.
 11. The alignment method of claim10, wherein the assistant alignment process is performed by relativelyand linearly moving the substrate (S) and the mask (M) by usingpiezoelectric element.
 12. The alignment method of claim 10, wherein thealignment process and the closely attaching process are performed at thesame time.
 13. The alignment method of claim 10, wherein the closelyattaching process for closely attaching the substrate (S) to the mask(M) is performed first, and the closely attaching process and thealignment process are performed at the same time when a relativedistance between the substrate (S) and the mask (M) has a predeterminedvalue (G).
 14. The aligner structure of claim 2, wherein a displacementrange of the first relative displacement is 5 μm to 10 μm, and adisplacement range of the second relative displacement is 10 nm to 5 μm.15. The aligner structure of claim 3, wherein a displacement range ofthe first relative displacement is 5 μm to 10 μm, and a displacementrange of the second relative displacement is 10 nm to 5 μm.
 16. Thealigner structure of claim 4, wherein a displacement range of the firstrelative displacement is 5 μm to 10 μm, and a displacement range of thesecond relative displacement is 10 nm to 5 μm.
 17. The aligner structureof claim 5, wherein a displacement range of the first relativedisplacement is 5 μm to 10 μm, and a displacement range of the secondrelative displacement is 10 nm to 5 μm.
 18. The aligner structure ofclaim 2, wherein the first alignment unit (100) is linearly driven byone of a combination of ball screw, a combination of rack and pinion,and a combination of belt and pulley, and the second alignment unit(200) is linearly driven by piezoelectric element.
 19. The alignerstructure of claim 3, wherein the first alignment unit (100) is linearlydriven by one of a combination of ball screw, a combination of rack andpinion, and a combination of belt and pulley, and the second alignmentunit (200) is linearly driven by piezoelectric element.
 20. The alignerstructure of claim 4, wherein the first alignment unit (100) is linearlydriven by one of a combination of ball screw, a combination of rack andpinion, and a combination of belt and pulley, and the second alignmentunit (200) is linearly driven by piezoelectric element.